Islamic Jihad Movement called on Palestinians to escalate the Intifada (uprising) and frequent al-Aqsa Mosque in order to confront settlers’ incursions into Muslims’ holy places.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Movement said that the Israeli aggression on Muslims’ holy shrines especially al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem and al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil requires more hard work by Palestinians in order to escalate the Intifada and defend their land and holy places.

Over 20,000 of settlers performed Talmudic prayers and religious rituals at al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil on Tuesday at the pretext of the Jewish Holiday “Sukkot”.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) made the old city of al-Khalil into a military barracks and forced a curfew on Palestinians to protect the entry of crowds of settlers into the holy site.

IOF closed the doors of Al-Ibrahimi Mosque for two days in front of Muslim worshipers in order to celebrate Jewish holidays.

Israeli sources reported that 22,500 settlers arrived on Monday in the Israeli illegal neighborhood in al-Khalil and the area of al-Ibrahimi Mosque.

For his part, Director and Head of al-Ibrahimi Mosque Sheikh Hafthi Abu Esnaina told WAFA news agency that Israeli media urges settlers to visit the mosque for Judaization purposes. “Ibrahimi Mosque will always be a holy site for Muslims only. Jews have no right to it”, he said.

Dozens of Palestinians suffered breathing problems after inhalation of Israeli tear gas in clashes that erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Yatta town south of al-Khalil city Tuesday evening.

The coordinator of the Popular Committee against Separation Wall south of al-Khalil, Ratib al-Jabour, said that clashes broke out after dozens of Jewish settlers stormed and performed Talmudic rituals at al-Karmel Public Park in the city.

IOF soldiers also gave chase to farmers on the bypass Road 60. A number of agricultural tractors were confiscated. Meanwhile a barrier was also erected at Zeef area where Palestinian cars were stopped and searched.

Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed on Tuesday morning al-Karmel Park in al-Khalil’s southern town of Yatta, sparking terror in the area.

Coordinator for the local anti-settlement committee, Rateb al-Jabour, said dozens of Israelis residing in illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian land east of Yatta broke into the park and jumped into the local swimming pool as they chanted racist slogans.

At the same time, the Israeli occupation forces set up checkpoints across the main roads leading to Palestinian villages east of Yatta and prevented Palestinian civilians from reaching their homes and lands.

Scores of Jewish settlers on Tuesday morning desecrated the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards under tight police guard in response to rabbis’ calls for intensifying their break-ins at the Islamic holy site during the Sukkot holiday.

The media and public relations department of the Aqsa Mosque stated that the Israeli occupation police opened al-Maghariba gate of the Mosque in the morning and allowed in about 300 settlers.

One of the Mosque’s guards reported seeing some settlers touring the holy site with tree branches in their hands and performing rituals.

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has expressed its deep concern over Israel’s decision to ban Palestinian Muslim children from playing in the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards and punish them with imprisonment, describing the measure as “an unjustified interference in the administration of the Islamic holy site and a violation of the international law.”

In a press release published on its website on Monday, the Geneva-based human rights group deplored the Israeli higher court of justice for issuing a verdict on October 4 prohibiting Palestinian children from playing in the courtyards of their Aqsa Mosque and threatening them with detention for several years.

It stressed that the verdict violated the international human rights law that stipulates the right of individuals to freedom of religion and belief, and the need for not interfering in the administration of their holy sites or violating their sanctity.

The Euro-Med also pointed to the resolution that was issued by the UNESCO in October 2016 on Jerusalem, which asserted that the Aqsa Mosque belongs solely to the Muslims and condemned Israel’s changes in and around the Old City as illegitimate.

It called on the UN Security Council to take effective steps against Israel’s attempts to impose its control over the Aqsa Mosque and force it to respect relevant resolutions that confirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the holy site.

Clashes broke out on Monday in Sabastiya town, northwest of Nablus city in the northern West Bank, after hundreds of settlers stormed the town to celebrate Sukkot (Jewish holiday).

Mayor of Sabastiya, Mohammad Azem, told the PIC reporter that Israeli forces raided the town on Monday morning to protect Jewish settlers who started flocking into the town later.

The forces stormed the historic site in the town and announced it a closed military zone for two days. Dozens of Israeli soldiers were deployed in different locations in the town and forced farmers to stop picking olives and leave their lands.

Clashes erupted when school students threw stones at the soldiers who showered youngsters with tear gas canisters and stun grenades.

Hundreds of Jewish settlers on Monday stormed a historic site in al-Khalil city under protection of Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

The PIC reporter said that hundreds of settlers from settlements of Jabal al-Khalil stormed the area of Bab al-Zawiya in al-Khalil downtown. The settlers marched through Beersheba Street where an ancient tomb exists. It is claimed to be a grave for one of the Jewish prophets.

IOF soldiers forced Palestinians to shut down their commercial shops and snipers were deployed on roof-tops, he added. The closure of the area is going to last until 5 p.m., local sources pointed out.

After storming the area, clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and IOF soldiers who fired tear gas grenades at protesters who threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers. The area between Bab al-Zawiya and Beersheba Street was then declared a closed military zone.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) blocked at noon Monday a main road in downtown al-Khalil city in the southern West Bank. The closure was aimed at offering protection for settlers while approaching a historic site in the area that is allegedly Jewish.

Local sources told Quds Press that IOF soldiers forced Palestinians to shut down their commercial shops and blocked traffic on a road that connects Bab al-Zawiya area to Beersheba Street.

The closure is going to last for a few hours until Monday evening during settlers’ march to an ancient tomb in the area, the sources pointed out.

IOF troops are also closing al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city and banning Palestinians from accessing the holy site and performing prayers inside. While on the other hand, they are allowing settlers to storm the place and perform Talmudic rituals at the Muslims’ holy shrine to celebrate the Sukkot Jewish holiday.

More than 300 Israeli settlers, escorted by police, broke into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday morning.

The settlers performed rituals, marking the Sukkot Jewish holiday, while Israeli police, stationed at the gates of the compound, imposed strict restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers to the holy site.

WAFA reported no clashes between the settlers and Muslim worshipers at the holy compound, as is usually the case when settlers break into the site.

In October of 2015, tension ran high across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, against the backdrop of Israel’s repeated assaults on the mosque, including attempts to enforce a unilateral temporal division of the Islamic holy site between Muslims and Jews.

Prior to that, the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warned in a report that “Israeli incitement against Muslims could trigger a conflict that would likely result in disastrous consequences.”

“Among the provocative acts documented by Euro-Med researchers against Palestinians in Jerusalem were performance of Talmudic prayers near Muslim devotees, beating, throwing rubbish, cursing, death threats and preventing worshippers from reaching the mosque,” the report said.

Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) on Sunday informed the administration of the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil that the site will be closed before Muslim worshipers during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Hefzi Abu Sneineh, said that the closure will be in effect from 10 p.m. on Sunday until Tuesday night and that only Jewish settlers will be allowed access to the holy site to celebrate their holiday.

Abu Sneineh stressed that closing the Ibrahimi Mosque before Muslim worshipers and visitors and banning the Adhan (call for prayer) at the site constitute a blatant violation of Muslims' freedom of worship.

The IOA in 1994 divided the Ibrahimi Mosque, the fourth holiest site in Islam, into two sections: The first is for Muslim worshipers while the other is for Jews. Muslims are permitted access to the two sections 10 days a year only.

The Washington-based Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) has given a Palestinian ex-detainee in Israeli jails the Award of Excellence for his academic research paper entitled “The Role of Settlers in Israel’s Political Decision-Making Process.”

The researcher, Ra’ed Khaled Ghabayen, received a symbolic financial award, $500, for his paper from the PARC, which gives awards for outstanding studies conducted by postgraduate students of Palestinian universities.

His paper, which is composed of five chapters, was supervised by Middle Eastern studies professor Osama Abu Nahel and professor Ahmed Dahlan, both working at al-Azhar University in Gaza.

Ghabayen, who spent about nine years in Israeli jails, expressed his happiness that his work was chosen by the center as the best academic research, dedicating his accomplishment to his friends in detention.

For his part, professor Abu Nahel described Ghabayen’s research paper as “very important,” saying it would contribute to enriching the Arab library with a serious issue.

The break-in was led by the extremist Likud MK and rabbi Yehuda Glick, who showed up near al-Qataneen Gate and performed sacrilegious rituals at the site.

In a statement to the PIC, director of al-Aqsa Mosque, Omar al-Kiswani, sounded the alarm over the escalated pace of Israel’s desecration schemes at the site in the presence of police officers and under the pretext of Jewish holidays.

Al-Kiswani called on the Muslim worshipers to intensify peaceful vigil at al-Aqsa and stand on guard to the mounting Israeli assaults.

He strongly condemned the Israeli crackdowns against the Muslim worshipers near the main entrances to the site, where several Palestinians have been subjected to intensive searches and dozens more have had their IDs seized.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Saturday evening stormed Abu Nuwar Bedouin compound east of Occupied Jerusalem and broke the door of a recently-constructed school in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Israeli Jewish settlers of Yitzhar settlement attacked Palestinian farmers in Huwara town south of Nablus city in the northern West Bank.

The Palestinian activist Ghassan Daghlas said that the inhabitants of Huwara town confronted the incursion of Jewish settlers. As a result, clashes erupted especially when settlers attacked farmers while picking olive fruits in al-Halloum area, according to WAFA news agency.

Several Israeli colonists attacked, on Saturday evening, many Palestinians while picking their olive trees in their own orchards, in Huwwara town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The Palestinians were assaulted by many colonists from Yitzhar illegal settlement, which was built on Palestinian lands south of Nablus.

The assault took place in the al-Halloum area, in Huwwara; the Palestinians managed to overcome the colonists, forcing them to flee the area.

Such attacks significantly increase each year during the olive harvest season, and largely target orchards that became in close proximity to illegal colonies and outposts, built stolen Palestinian lands.

Other violations include burning trees and farmlands, flooding farmlands with sewage water, in addition to cutting and uprooting the trees, and illegally confiscating them by installing outposts and barbed wires.

The Israeli army largely ignores these attacks, and refrains from intervening, unless the violations lead to clashes with the Palestinians, and in such cases, the soldiers frequently resort to excessive force against the Palestinians, including the use of live fire, gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets.

Israeli authorities decided to summon an elementary school principal in the city of Umm al-Fahm in 1948 Occupied Palestine after the school began the current academic year with songs praising the State of Palestine. The lyrics included the phrase: "We are Palestinians and the capital of Palestine is Jerusalem."

Local sources in Umm al-Fahm reported that the Israeli extremist Im Tirtzu Movement sent a video tape to the Education Ministry and to Education Minister Naftali Bennett. It was decided to summon the principal for a hearing, and then to decide whether to take any disciplinary steps against her.

Senior Education Ministry officials spoke with the principal over the phone. The principal stated that she had been unaware of the plans to play the song. Nevertheless, the Education Ministry decided to summon her to a hearing in the coming days.

Political activists opined that summoning the school principal goes in line with Israeli political prosecution and incitement against the Palestinian community in Umm al-Fahm and other cities in 1948 Palestine.

Palestinian medical sources have reported that a young man was seriously injured, earlier Friday, after Israeli colonists hurled stone at his car, while driving on the main Nablus-Ramallah road, in the occupied West Bank.

The sources said the young man, Mahmoud Mohammad Jarar’a, 26, from ‘Aseera ash-Shemaleyya town, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, suffered skull fractures, in addition to various cuts and bruises.

The Palestinian was rushed to the Istishari Hospital, in Ramallah, and his wounds were described as serious.

Eyewitnesses said the colonists came from the illegal Shilo colony, which was built on Palestinian lands, southeast of Nablus and northeast of Ramallah.

The illegally confiscated lands are owned by Palestinians from the villages and towns of Qaryout, al-Mohgheer, Khirbit Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya.

On Friday at dawn, a large military force invaded Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem, and violently searched several homes, causing damage.

The soldiers also detained a young man, identified as Mashoor Shaher Deeriyya, and interrogated him in one of their jeeps for several hours before releasing him.

The Israeli occupation army decided to isolate the northern West Bank from its south and center for several hours on Friday at the pretext of organizing a marathon race for Jewish settlers.

According to a military announcement, the main road between Nablus province and Ramallah province will be closed from morning to afternoon today for the race.

In this regard, the national committee against normalization strongly denounced the Israeli occupation state for closing the road and obstructing the movement of Palestinian citizens and demanded an end to its control over the occupied Palestinian territories.